give up

verb

gave up; given up; giving up; gives up

transitive verb

1
: to yield control or possession of : surrender
forced to give up his job
2
: to desist from : abandon
refused to give up her efforts
3
: to declare incurable or insoluble
4
a
: to abandon (oneself) to a particular feeling, influence, or activity
gave himself up to despair
b
: to devote to a particular purpose or use
5
: to despair of seeing
we'd given you up
6
: to allow (a hit or run in baseball) while pitching

intransitive verb

: to cease doing or attempting something especially as an admission of defeat : quit
often used with on
don't give up on the project
Phrases
give up the ghost
: to cease to live or function : die

Examples of give up in a Sentence

was in so much debt he had to give up his house and move into a cheaper apartment I hope you won't give up playing the piano.
Recent Examples on the Web By winter 1935, Reuss was on the verge of giving up on life completely. Tomas Weber, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024 Membership narrowly gave up the pension in 2014 after the company threatened to build the 737 Max and 777X at non-union facilities. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024 Dislike: Bucks’ Defensive Rebounding Milwaukee gave up 17 offensive rebounds to the Sixers—a concerning number that put a damper on what was otherwise a strong defensive effort. Brian Sampson, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024 Don Newcombe gave up two two-run homers to Yogi Berra and a solo shot to Elston Howard. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for give up 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'give up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of give up was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near give up

Cite this Entry

“Give up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20up. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

give up

verb
1
2
: to abandon (oneself) to a feeling, influence, or activity
3

More from Merriam-Webster on give up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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